| Dalymount Park |
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Information AboutDalymount Park |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT DALYMOUNT PARK | |
| buildings and structures in dublin | |
| football venues in the republic of ireland | |
| sport in dublin | |
| bohemian f.c. | |
| st patricks athletic f.c. | |
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HISTORY Dalymount Park was first constructed in 1901 and the first game, between Shelbourne F.C. and Bohemians being played on September 7 and the ground was extended and improved thereafter. In its heyday, Dalymount Park, or "Dalyer" as it was popularly known, regularly saw crowds of up to 40,000 for big games, however, whether it was ever able to accommodate this number of spectators safely is open to question. The stadium consisted of three sides of open terracing (one, the "shed end" or "school end" partly covered) and one basic wooden stand, with only 1500 seats. Nevertheless, its record attendance was put at 48,000, for an Irish international game against England in the 1950s. A similar crowd attended the first entry of an Irish team into the European Cup , when Shamrock Rovers played Manchester United in 1958. The record attendance at the venue for an FAI Cup Final is 45,000, achieved when Bohemians played Shamrock Rovers in 1945. The ground saw the international debuts of players such as Liam Brady and Johnny Giles . However, by the 1980s Dalymount had been sidelined by the more modern and larger Lansdowne Road Rugby ground for Irish football internationals. Parts of the ground had also become somewhat dilapidated, some of terracing was in bad shape - with grass growing on it in places - and one access route to the ground (behind the old "tramway end") had been cut off completely. In 1984, when Ireland played the world champions Italy at Dalymount Park, it was clear that the old ground could not accommodate the 40,000 or so spectators who turned up to see the game. Fans had to passed down to the sidelines to avoid being crushed and serious questions were raised about whether Dalymount was a viable venue for modern sport. After a safety review, the capacity of the stadium was cut in half to only 20,000 or so. Thereafter, Dalymount only rarely hosted senior internationals and rarer still competitive ones. The last full Irish international game to be played there was friendly against Morocco in 1990. Dalymount also lost the FAI Cup Final in 1990, when it was switched to Lansdowne Road. It briefly recovered the final in 1996, when it held the replayed final between Shelbourne and St Patrick's Athletic and in 1997 and 1998, when it hosted Cup Final again. However, in 1999, the final was switched to Tolka Park and in 2003 back to Landsdowne Road. PRESENT DAY Bohemians have recently redeveloped the ground to some extent. The old main stand has been replaced by a modern structure with 3000 seats. Half of the terrace on the opposite side has been knocked down, the remainder has had seats installed on the terracing, as has the old "shed end". The terrace behind the opposite goal (or "tramway end") has been closed and will shortly be demolished to be replaced by a new stand and executive boxes. The modern capacity of Dalymount is about 9000. Bohemians average crowd is about 3000. Shamrock Rovers , who do not have a home ground, also started the 2005 season at Dalymount Park. THE FUTURE The stadium has also held concerts in the past, but is unlikely to do so again until it is redeveloped further. In 2003, a planned Destiny's Child concert was moved from the venue when safety inspectors found it to be unsuitable. Famous performers to have played at Dalymount include Bob Marley and The Clash and Faith No More . The ''Dalymount Trust'' has been formed to protect the stadium into the future and fundraise for improvements to the ground in ways Bohemians cannot. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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